Icy Obsession
by Amphryxia
Summary: Anna is having fun with her job as an exotic dancer. But tonight, she'll meet a mysterious woman who seems to have a very keen interest in her...
1. Chapter 1

Anna put the finishing touches of her red lipcolor on and admired herself in the mirror. A strip club was no place for subtlety, which meant that Anna could have fun with heavier eyeshadow, bolder lipcolor, and a little more eyelash-lengthening mascara than was strictly necessary. Needless to say, her makeup matched very well with her long, straight red hair and blue eyes. Anna was quite good at styling herself (she needed to be since she certainly didn't have the money to spend at a stylist) and wished that people were willing to pay her to do that for them. For now, though, the only way Anna could make real money was by dancing at the newest gentlemen's club in town, Sakura's Garden. And she needed to make as much money as she possibly could right now.

More to distract herself from thinking about her crushing debt than anything else, Anna looked down in the mirror to check herself out. She was wearing a lacy violet bra that was cunningly constructed to push her 32C breasts up and together, and yet provide very little support, causing her breasts to bounce gently with every step she took. Below that, Anna wore a matching violet thong that provided as little coverage as possible, both in the back (where it framed her ass nicely but did nothing else) and the front (where through sheer skimpiness it made clear that Anna was shaved smooth down there.) That wasn't all Anna was wearing, of course. She also had a black choker on, fishnet gloves that went to her elbows, fishnet stockings that went up to her thighs, and a pair of 5-inch violet stilettos that showed her painted toes. As for jewelry, the only thing that Anna owned was a glass jeweled piercing that currently dangled attractively from her navel. All in all, the perfect outfit for persuading men (and some women, of course) to hand over their hard-earned money in exchange for little more than a smile and a wink.

"You're up next, Anna. I'm taking my break." Another girl called out as she came into the dressing room.

"Thanks, Sarah." Anna responded cheerfully, turning away from the mirror.

Anna hurried out of the dressing room. She would have worked the main room every minute that she was on the clock, but the need to keep things fair for every girl meant that Anna was forced to sit in the dressing room some of the time. Sitting on her panty-clad butt while the interest rate on her debt caused it to tick ever upward was maddening, and Anna was eager to finally put some money in her pockets. Not that her outfit had pockets, exactly.

Anna put a sexy smile on her face before walking out onto the club floor. The men sitting at the tables around her immediately took note of her, and Anna walked over to them. She winked at a few she knew and started chatting them up. The conversation itself was totally meaningless, though. They were here to admire a sexy, friendly and flirtatious girl, and she was there to get paid for providing that experience for them. Anna's practiced efforts were soon rewarded, as the men around her started to tuck five-dollar bills into her panties.

Requests for lap dances soon followed, and as Anna danced, she took a few seconds to glance around the room. Most of the customers here were being attended to, but not everyone. In particular, there was a woman with long, pale blonde hair sitting in the corner. Even from across the room, Anna could tell how beautiful she was. And what's more, the woman seemed to be watching Anna. Their eyes met for a brief moment before Anna looked away. Something about the woman's gaze was captivating though, and Anna only lasted a second or two before she glanced back at the woman. Yes, the mystery woman was indeed watching her, and now there was a small smile on her face.

After giving the men around her their money's worth, Anna excused herself politely and drifted over to the side of the room the woman was on. She didn't want to appear too eager to talk to the mystery woman. Female customers were often a little nervous about being approached, even though Anna hadn't detected the slightest hint of nervousness in the way the mystery woman had gazed at her. If Anna was being honest, the only person who was nervous here was probably herself.

As she made her way closer, Anna could see that the woman looked to be her age. Or a couple of years older, maybe. But the exquisitely tailored dark gray skirt suit the woman was wearing made her appear more mature and sophisticated to Anna's eyes. Her long blonde hair was tied back in an intricate ponytail that fell over one shoulder. Though it was hard to tell in the dim lighting, the mystery woman seemed to have very pale skin. Jewelry-wise, what appeared to be diamond earrings and a platinum bracelet completed her look, and it was a look that said, in no uncertain terms, that she had both money and taste. Why was she sitting alone? The girls here should have been swarming her.

"Hi, I'm Amber. Can I get you anything?" Anna asked brightly as soon as she reached the woman's table, using her stage name.

The mystery woman didn't answer immediately. She took a few moments to examine Anna, who found herself blushing. It wasn't the kind of lewd, lascivious look that she sometimes received from customers (that kind of thing no longer bothered her), rather, it was more like an appraisal, the sort of look someone might have as they appreciated the finer details of a famous painting or sculpture. Anna fidgeted a bit under the woman's gaze, unable to help herself. Anna knew she was pretty, but her body wasn't anything spectacular, and the way the woman was looking at her like she was a work of art was a little embarrassing.

"Hello, Amber. I'll have a dry martini. And bring back something for yourself, please." The blonde woman answered smoothly, opening what was clearly an expensive designer bag and pulling out a 20 dollar bill.

Anna smiled and accepted the bill graciously. She always appreciated it when customers were nice enough to buy her a drink as well. Plus, the woman was even courteous enough to hand her the money instead of just tucking it into her panties like some customers liked to do. Anna turned around to head to the bar and forced herself not to rush. She would have ran to the bar and back if she could, but experience told her to slow things down. It was usually better to let the anticipation build. Plus, it wasn't like Anna could move too quickly with the stilettos she had on.

The bar was thankfully clear of patrons, and the bartender was a friendly older woman named Marina. Plenty of the girls working here went to her for advice, and Anna was no exception. As soon as Anna reached the bar, she rattled off the order excitedly.

"A dry martini please, Marina! And um, a Cosmopolitan, maybe? That's sophisticated, right?" Anna asked Marina nervously, wanting to impress the mystery woman.

"Sophisticated enough, sweetie. Good job, by the way. I don't think anyone else has met her approval. She's been rejecting girls all night. Politely, though." Marina remarked as she retrieved the requisite bottles of liquor.

"Really?" Anna asked curiously.

"Yep. She likes you, though. Don't look now, but she still hasn't taken her eyes off you." Marina said with a wink, pouring the drinks into two high stemmed glasses.

Anna smiled again, but inwardly, she felt her sense of self-consciousness spike. What was it about her that interested this woman so much? Other girls working here were just as pretty, just as friendly, and generally better at being sultry and intriguing than she was. Anna had tried to put on that kind of act before, but it never worked very well. Anna just couldn't hide her bubbly and cheerful self, and customers either appreciated that or they didn't. This mystery woman seemed to like her personality, at least.

Marina finished pouring the cocktails and Anna picked the glasses up carefully. She could be clumsy at times, and Anna really didn't want to embarrass herself by dropping anything right now. Anna turned around to head back to the woman's table and quickly noticed that Marina was right. The mystery woman seemed to have eyes for nobody here but Anna.

"Here you go." Anna said brightly as soon as she got back, placing the cocktails on the table and sitting down on a chair next to the woman with the pale blonde hair.

The blonde-haired woman gave a wry smile before switching the position of the drinks on the table. Anna looked down and realized that she had given the woman her own pink-hued cocktail and placed the woman's martini in front of herself by accident. Anna blushed and did her best to laugh it off.

"Sorry!" Anna said apologetically, smiling weakly.

"Don't worry about it. I'm not sure why I ordered this. I'm not big on liquor." The woman remarked with a laugh.

"Oh. Well, I could get you something else to drink?" Anna offered a touch uncertainly.

"I might take you up on that later. I'm Elsa, by the way." The blonde-haired woman answered smoothly, introducing herself.

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Amber." Anna said automatically.

It was a second before Anna realized that she had already introduced herself earlier. She blushed again, but thankfully Elsa seemed to find her awkwardness charming. Anna, for her part, enjoyed having a conversation at work where the patron was not constantly staring at her breasts. Not that Anna could blame them when she was only wearing a bra, but still.

"Have you been working here long?" Elsa asked politely, tapping her fingers on her glass.

"Almost a month now. Everyone here is really nice." Anna answered honestly, sipping her Cosmopolitan.

"That's good. I usually don't go to places like these. But..." Elsa remarked in a softer tone, glancing around the room.

"But?" Anna prompted curiously.

"I don't know. I had a rough day, and I thought maybe I could unwind by talking to a pretty girl." Elsa finished, smiling again at Anna.

Anna smiled knowingly. It was good to be reminded of the positives of her job. It wasn't all tawdry money-grubbing. Not too many women were willing and able to help people reduce their stress level in this particular fashion. Anna was performing a valuable service! Plus, knowing that Elsa thought she was pretty was nice to know.

"I think I can help with that. Would you like a dance?" Anna offered in a slightly more intimate tone.

Elsa smiled at her, nodded, and leaned backward in her seat. Anna got up as gracefully as she could and slowly walked forward until she reached Elsa's seat. Then she sat down facing Elsa with her knees resting on either side of where the blonde-haired woman was sitting. The woman's gray skirt suit was very soft and smooth against the bare skin of Anna's thighs, and she briefly wondered just how many thousands of dollars it had to have cost.

Anna grinned as Elsa's eyes were drawn almost magnetically to the pair of breasts that were only inches away from her, aided as they were by Anna's push-up bra. Some customers found it quite pleasant to stare at them for minutes at a time. But Elsa surprised her by looking up into Anna's eyes shortly afterward. That was unusual.

Even more unusual was that Anna couldn't seem to look away from Elsa's bright blue eyes. From this close, they looked like pools of crystalline water, and Anna felt whatever control she had seized a moment ago quickly slipping away from her. The music in her ears vanished and the already dim light of the club faded into near darkness. But Elsa's eyes were brighter than ever. Anna's thoughts disappeared one by one, and she felt suffused with an oddly pleasant sense of paralysis. All she wanted to do was to keep looking into Elsa's arresting eyes.

"Not that I mind this at all, but aren't you supposed to start dancing?" Elsa asked softly, with just a hint of amusement in her voice.

Anna blinked, realizing that she had just spent an embarrassing amount of time motionless, caught in the mystery woman's gaze. But with Elsa's words, the bizarre spell that had settled over Anna was broken. The music returned to her ears, and Elsa's eyes were no longer the brightest thing in the room. That was strange. Anna had never felt anything like that before. Maybe she was more tired than she thought. Anna could rest later, though. The woman was expecting a lap dance, after all. As soon as Anna smiled and began grinding her hips back and forth on Elsa's lap, the blonde-haired woman leaned further back in her chair and began focusing more on Anna's swaying hips, a smile small playing across her lips.

There was definitely something unusual about this woman. Although Elsa appeared to be enjoying the lap dance Anna was giving her, it was in a markedly different way than most customers would. The signs of sexual excitement that Anna had been taught to look for (wide eyes, flushed cheeks, slightly faster breathing) were absent in Elsa. The blonde-haired woman's gaze was calm and steady, her cheeks were almost unnaturally pale, and if she was breathing harder at all, Anna couldn't tell.

No, instead it was Anna who was feeling those telltale sensations. Being so close to this beautiful blonde-haired woman had her body react strongly. Anna could feel her nipples hardening beneath her violet bra. She could see it as well, which meant that Elsa could see it, and that knowledge did nothing to help lessen the blush in Anna's cheeks. And ever since she had begun grinding herself on Elsa's lap, Anna had begun to get excited in an even more embarrassing way. She could only pray that Elsa hadn't noticed evidence of that, at least.

But why was Anna so excited, though? The blonde-haired woman was beautiful, but that couldn't be the only reason. Maybe it was the strange sense of danger that Anna was beginning to feel emanating from Elsa. The mystery woman was still leaning back in her seat and she was still smiling at Anna in that same amused way. But there was something different about Elsa now. Her gaze was tighter than before. Was it her imagination, or had the mystery woman tensed up slightly? It was almost as if Elsa was exerting some low level of force to keep herself from doing something. This strange sense probably should have repelled Anna, but it did not. On the contrary, Anna was drawn to the mystery woman even more than before.

"Has anyone ever told you how perfect you are?" Elsa whispered, looking into Anna's eyes once more.

Perfect? Anna was miles from perfect. She was awkward, she was forgetful, and she was clumsy. And if Anna had more imagination, then she could have come up with a lot more flaws than that. Anna opened her mouth to say something self-deprecating, but the words wouldn't come. Elsa was gazing into her eyes again, and suddenly disagreeing with the blonde-haired woman was impossible. This time, neither the music nor the lights faded, but Anna was suffused with a similar feeling of paralysis as before. It wasn't her body that was unresponsive, however. Now it was her mind, which was quickly becoming empty of thoughts that did not revolve around pleasing Elsa.

"If you say so." Anna said breathlessly.

"I do. And now I have a question: Is there anywhere we can go that's more private?" Elsa asked seductively.

"The VIP room. I'm pretty sure it's empty now." Anna answered at once, very much eager to please.

"Lead on, then, Anna." Elsa commanded, intertwining her fingers with Anna's own fingers and touching her skin for the first time.

If Anna had been able to think clearly, then the striking chill of Elsa's pale fingers would have given her pause. And if not that, then the way that Elsa knew her name despite Anna never having told her might have done the same. But those were tiny, irrelevant details. What mattered was that she accomplish the task she had been given. Anna nodded pleasantly and turned to lead Elsa upstairs to the empty VIP room. From the satisfied smile that appeared on Elsa's face, Anna's obedience was to her liking.

* * *

The richly appointed VIP room was empty, just as Anna had promised. The red-tinted room was full of soft sofas beneath even softer cushions, and there were a number of poles planted in the middle of the room where girls could dance. Mirrors lined the walls of the room, and there was a thick red curtain at the entrance that could be drawn, giving the occupants privacy. Anna led Elsa into the room eagerly, wanting to complete her appointed task. As soon as they had crossed into the room together, Elsa withdrew her cold hand from Anna's and moved to draw the curtains shut.

Anna blinked rapidly. Now that Elsa's back was turned and the blonde-haired woman was no longer holding her hand, there was suddenly space for her to think. She began to question the situation in her head. Why was it so important that she obey Elsa's commands? And why did the mystery woman want to be alone with her? But soon enough, Elsa turned back to gaze into her eyes. As soon as she looked into those bright pools of blue, Anna's questions were wiped blissfully from her mind.

"I imagine you're a wonderful dancer. I'd like to see it." Elsa said, sounding as if Anna's agreement was a foregone conclusion.

"Okay!" Anna answered without a trace of hesitation.

Anna walked over to one of the poles in the center of the room and turned to lean back against it. She grabbed the pole above her head with both hands, giving Elsa a very clear look at her lingerie-clad body. Elsa smiled and moved to sit down on the nearest padded seat. As soon as she did, Anna spread her legs as wide as she could and began sinking down to the floor, bending her knees gracefully. All the while, Anna kept hold of the pole above her head until her panty-covered butt brushed the carpeted floor.

Generally speaking, Anna avoided pole dancing. She had been taught how to do it, but her natural clumsiness tended to make for a more comical spectacle than a seductive one. This was what Elsa wanted, however, and Anna's blissfully clear mind made for a flawless act. Anna bounced up from her crouched position and twirled around the pole a few times, no longer worrying at all about whether she would stumble in her 5-inch stilettos.

Having completed a few twirls, Anna stopped with her back turned. She tossed her long red hair to the side to look at Elsa, then reached behind her back to unhook her bra. It was usually against Anna's policy to show her breasts, but she very much wanted to impress the blonde-haired woman. Anna drew her arms in until her violet bra dropped from her shoulders. She then tossed it saucily over at Elsa's feet with a wink.

Elsa smiled, but Anna could see the mystery woman was now staring at her intently. There was something very much predatory in her gaze. It should have made her shiver, but instead, Anna felt a trickle of excitement at the thought of being at the blonde-haired woman's mercy.

"Come over here, sweetie. But don't walk. Crawl." Elsa commanded softly.

Anna instantly sank to her knees. Any thoughts she might have had about how strange it was that Elsa wanted her to crawl were absent from her mind. All that mattered was obeying the mystery woman's command. Anna began crawling over to Elsa on her hands and knees, distantly aware of how her uncovered breasts swayed beneath her, as well as how her thighs were beginning to feel slick between them.

As soon as Anna reached where Elsa was sitting, the blonde-haired woman reached out to cup Anna's face with both hands. Elsa's pale hands were as cold as ice, but Anna didn't care. From her kneeling position, Anna was receiving the full force of Elsa's captivating gaze. Some discomfiting thoughts that had been starting to creep back into Anna's mind were expelled once more. It was pure bliss to not have to worry about anything other than obeying the blonde-haired woman.

"Touch yourself, sweetie. I want you to enjoy this too." Elsa whispered softly.

Anna immediately slipped a hand inside her panties. She was already embarrassingly wet, and the simple motion of her fingers drove her steadily toward an orgasm. In a fraction of the time it would usually take, Anna felt perched right on the edge of a climax. It was simultaneously humiliating and exciting to be touching herself right in front of Elsa, who looked to be enjoying the sight if the amused smile on her face was anything to go by.

"Getting close, sweetie? Tell me if you are." Elsa said softly, still cupping Anna's face.

"I am. I'm close." Anna whispered at once.

"Then finish." Elsa commanded intently.

Anna reacted to the blonde-haired woman's words almost before she understood them. An explosive orgasm began rippling through her body, starting from her pussy and traveling outward. Anna would have shrieked in pleasure, but even in her overwhelmed state, Elsa's hold on her mind remained steady. The mystery woman did not want Anna to make a single sound.

Barely being aware of anything other than the hot waves of pleasure rolling through her body, she felt Elsa turn her head to the side, exposing Anna's neck. Elsa opened her mouth ever so slightly, and Anna got a brief glimpse of two very sharp fangs before the mystery woman bent down and plunged them into her neck.

Anna's body instantly went slack. The slight pain from the bite was immediately subsumed into a billowing cloud of pleasure emanating from somewhere in her mind. The novel sensation dueled, and then combined with the orgasm that was still rippling through her body. Anna's senses were overwhelmed completely, until she could neither move, nor think, nor see, nor hear. All she could do was feel.

The mystery woman was drawing something precious out of Anna. She could feel a hot sensation in her neck right where the woman's fangs had pierced. Elsa was...she was drinking her blood! Anna tried to struggle, her instincts for survival managing to overcome Elsa's hold on her mind. But it was hopeless. No matter how hard she tried, Anna couldn't move a muscle. She was distantly aware that she was getting weaker and weaker. Unbidden, images from Anna's life swam up to the forefront of her mind, only to disappear as if they were being consumed along with her blood.

At the very end, Anna stopped fighting. She was too weak to do anything but lie helplessly in Elsa's grasp. The blonde woman's hands were warmer than before, and Anna's last thought before she blacked out was that it was her blood that had warmed the mystery woman's body.

* * *

"Anna! Are you okay?" someone asked her, concern in her voice.

Anna opened her eyes slowly. Where was she? The red tint of the room was glaring, but it took a few seconds for Anna to remember where she was. This was the VIP room. Anna had been sleeping on one of the cushioned sofas in it. Anna pushed herself up, or tried to, anyway. It took some doing, but eventually, Anna managed to push herself into a sitting position. As soon as she did, Anna reached up to feel her neck without really knowing why. There was nothing there, aside from two tiny indentations. A wave of dizziness hit her and Anna almost sank back down onto the sofa. Why did she feel so weak?

"What happened?" Anna asked vaguely, looking at what appeared to be two people in the room.

The girl who had woken her up was one of the dancers here. Her name was Lily, and she had very long, honey blonde hair. She was dressed similarly to Anna, of course. There was a man in a brown suit standing beside Lily as well. He was clearly a customer, and he was gawking at Anna. Gawking at her chest, in particular. Anna's mind was far too foggy to understand why he might have been doing so. It was only when Lily bent down to retrieve something from the floor before holding it out to Anna that she realized the reason. Lily was holding out Anna's bra, which meant that she was topless. Feeling quite embarrassed, Anna quickly took her violet bra and put it back on. Why had she been topless? Anna had to have been here with a customer. She couldn't remember, though. Everything from when she had first stepped out onto the main floor was a blur.

"Sorry, I don't know. I just saw that you were asleep here." Lily explained apologetically.

By this time, Anna had recovered enough to realize that she was preventing her fellow dancer from making some money for herself. Anna took a moment to step out of her stilettos (no way was she going to try to make it down the stairs wearing those things right now) before gingerly leaving the VIP room. Lily still looked a little concerned for her, but Anna smiled and gave her a friendly wave before walking out of sight.

Anna had recovered enough to walk, at least. But was she able to remember any better? Anna tried her best to focus. She had to have been in the VIP room with a customer. Who was it? Brief flashes were all that came to mind. In particular, Anna remembered pale, ice-cold hands. Anna shivered, despite the pleasant warmth in the club.

Maybe Marina could help. The bartender looked out for all of the girls who worked here, Anna especially. Anna made her way slowly down the stairs, stilettos in hand, and walked over to where Marina was mixing drinks at the bar on the ground floor. Seeing the splashing liquid made Anna suddenly aware of how incredibly thirsty she was.

"Hey, Marina? Do you remember if I was here with a customer a little while ago?" Anna asked with her customary brightness as she sat down on a stool, placing her stilettos on the stool beside her.

"A customer? Hmmm." Marina said, cocking her head slightly.

"It was a woman, I think. I can't really remember what she looked like, though." Anna explained gingerly.

"You can't? It's the weirdest thing. I have the feeling like you were with someone, but I can't remember either." Marina said slowly, frowning.

"Ah. Well, that's okay. Um, do you have any juice or anything back there?" Anna asked again, feeling parched.

Marina gave her a tall glass of orange juice (on the house, naturally) which Anna drank down eagerly. She was feeling a lot better than before, but Anna didn't want to push it. The most likely explanation was that she had fainted from working too hard. She had been putting in a lot of hours at the club recently. Whichever customer she was with probably had nothing to do with it. That had to be the reason, even if Anna had a niggling sense that there was something else going on.

After having finished with her orange juice, Anna tried one more time to remember any details she could about the last customer she had been with. Blue eyes. Very pale skin. Cold hands. And...fangs? No, that was ridiculous. Anna's imagination had to be running away with her.

Anna glanced around the main room of the club. For some reason, the darkened corners bothered her. Anna had always felt safe here before, though. Why was she so uneasy now? And why did Anna feel like, whatever had happened, it was just the beginning?


	2. Proper Introductions

Anna stepped out from the main floor and into the dressing room of Sakura's Garden. She had just completed her shift and was reasonably pleased with how she had made out. $300 or so over the course of 4 hours wasn't bad. Of course, almost all of it would be going toward paying down her mammoth debt. Anna wished she could put more hours in, but it was already past midnight.

Transitioning out of her workplace attire into something more presentable always took some time. The exotic lingerie Anna wore as a dancer had to come off, as it was far too uncomfortable to wear underneath her clothing. Next, Anna needed to wash off most of the unsubtle make-up she applied to entice customers. And of course, Anna had to step out of the towering stilettos she always wore while dancing. Only then could she get dressed in the clothing she had come in with: A rather simple violet top with tight blue jeans and sensible shoes.

Anna had just finished getting dressed when she saw one of the other girls walking through the dressing room. The dancer, a girl named Emily, was carrying a fancy bouquet of red and white roses. Dancers here would sometimes receive gifts like that from interested customers. Anna felt a little envious; it looked like an expensive gift. To Anna's considerable surprise, however, the girl walked over to her.

"Hi, Anna. A woman out on the main floor asked me to give this to you." Emily explained cheerfully, holding out the bouquet of red and white roses.

"To me? Did she say who she was?" Anna asked blankly, accepting the offered roses after a moment's hesitation.

"No, she didn't. She just told me to give that to you." Emily answered uncertainly.

"Well, can you tell me what she looked like?" Anna asked again, raising an eyebrow.

"She...I mean, she..." Emily replied slowly, trailing off with a puzzled expression on her face.

"...Yes?" Anna prompted, looking almost as confused.

"Um...I can't remember, actually. That's weird. It was just a few minutes ago." Emily answered blankly, turning to look back the way she came.

Emily couldn't remember what the woman looked like? That was odd. It sounded similar to the experience Anna had a couple of weeks ago when she had fainted. Could it possibly be the same woman? Anna shook her head slightly. What reason was there to think that? Emily must simply be scatterbrained tonight.

"Oh. Well, maybe the card says something." Anna offered, trying to make up for the strange awkwardness of the conversation.

Anna picked up the small white card nestled in between the blooming roses. It was folded in half. As Anna opened the card, she admired the rich feel of the paper. It was certainly fancier than anything that she could find in the gift card aisle of a supermarket.

"To my perfect Anna. It is my hope that tonight will be the first step on the way to our shared eternity." Anna read silently.

Anna immediately grew nervous. For one thing, this mystery woman hadn't used Anna's stage name. She had used her real name. And for another, the woman sounded creepily presumptuous. A shared eternity? Anna didn't even know who she was.

"Does it say who it's from?" Emily asked curiously.

"Um, no. But thanks for giving it to me." Anna answered after a moment, offering Emily a quick smile.

Emily nodded and walked away. Anna looked back and forth between the roses and the card. She really didn't know what to do with them. Carrying the bouquet all the way home was out of the question, and besides, the card creeped her out a little bit. In the end, Anna decided to leave the bouquet in the dressing room without the card. She tossed that thing in the trash can.

* * *

Unfortunately for Anna, none of the other girls were available to accompany her to the nearest subway station. Anna didn't really want to walk alone anymore. Ever since that strange experience a couple of weeks ago, Anna sometimes felt like she was being watched. It was only ever at night, and each time, Anna never saw evidence of anyone watching her, but still, the feeling persisted. Anna debated for a few minutes about whether to waste money on a cab, but eventually, she decided that she was being a baby. It was only two blocks to the nearest subway entrance.

As Anna walked down the street, the familiar sensation of being watched returned. Anna looked over her shoulder, then over to the other side of the street. There were still a few people around, but nobody was paying her any attention. And anyway, none of them were women. Anna shook her head and kept walking. Was it her imagination, or did she hear the faint sound of heels on the sidewalk? It had to be her imagination. Nobody nearby, including herself, was wearing high heels.

It was with considerable relief that Anna reached the subway entrance. She walked down the stairs, feeling both glad to be off the street and also somewhat ashamed of allowing her imagination to run away with her. Just like every other time before, there hadn't been anything for Anna to worry about.

The subway platform was totally empty, which was unusual. There were almost always a few people waiting to catch a late-night train ride home. But not tonight, apparently. Anna whiled away the time by looking at subway posters. There were some political ones (which Anna looked past, as politics were not her thing) and some for movies that looked interesting but that Anna couldn't really justify paying the ticket price for.

There it was again. That was definitely the sound of someone walking on a hard surface in high heels. Anna had heard the sound of her own stilettos enough to be quite certain. The clacking sound was faint, but it sounded as if it was coming from the stairs Anna herself had just gone down. Anna looked nervously at the stairs, but no one appeared. Was she going crazy?

The sound of an approaching train drowned out the faint noise. Anna waited for the train to stop, glancing back at the stairs every few seconds as if to remind herself that no one was there. As soon as the doors opened, Anna hurried inside and sat down in the nearest seat. The train was just as empty as the platform outside, but that wasn't as unusual. Not a lot of people took this particular route late at night.

Anna heard the faint clacking of heels once more and groaned. Hallucinations could be auditory as well as visual. Maybe she needed to go to the doctor. Anna closed her eyes and waited for the train doors to shut. Hopefully, that wouldn't be necessary. A good night's sleep might be all she needed. With a gentle clicking sound, the doors shut and the train slid into motion.

"Hello, Anna." A woman said pleasantly.

Anna's eyes flew open and she saw, to her shock, that there was a woman standing in front of her. A beautiful woman with pale blonde hair and even paler skin. Under the florescent lights of the train, the woman's skin looked unnaturally white. She was wearing a gorgeous sapphire-toned dress with matching heels and handbag. Everything she had on was the kind of item you might see hanging from mannequins posing in the windows of outrageously expensive stores. The kind that Anna walked by during the day and fervently wished she could shop in, but of course could never afford.

The woman was smiling at her, and as Anna looked into the woman's bright blue eyes, her memory came rushing back to her. The woman's name was Elsa. She was the customer that Anna had been with weeks ago! Anna went pale as she remembered what had happened in the VIP room. She remembered seeing the glint of Elsa's fangs right before the woman used them to pierce Anna's neck. This woman, Elsa, was some kind of vampire! Panicked, Anna got to her feet and ran to the end of the train car. Maybe she could make it to another train car and find someone to help. She had to try.

"Anna. Stop." Elsa commanded softly behind her.

Anna immediately lurched to a stop. Or at least, her body did. Inwardly, Anna was trying as hard as she could to keep running, or even to move her legs at all. But her body would not listen to her. There was some kind of invisible force inside her holding Anna in place. What was happening? Was this some kind of nightmare? From behind her, Anna heard the sound of Elsa sighing and taking a seat.

"Come over here and sit down." Elsa commanded again in the same soft, clear tone.

Entirely against her will, Anna's body turned around and walked back over to Elsa. She felt like a puppet on a string. This woman was...controlling her somehow. Anna did her best to suppress her sense of panic. There had to be some kind of way to escape the woman's grasp. A look of concentration was on Elsa's face, which told Anna that Elsa at least needed to expend some effort to control her this way. That might be useful to keep in mind.

All too soon, Anna was sitting in the seat that Elsa wanted her to. They were close together, but not as close as they had been that night in the club. Anna remembered how Elsa's gaze had only seemed to overpower her mind when they were less than a couple of feet apart. But Elsa had chosen for Anna to sit further away from her than that. What was the woman's game here?

"You don't need to be scared, Anna. Relax. I just want to talk." Elsa explained quietly.

Anna felt her body relax as it was ordered. The disconnect she now felt between her mind and body was bizarre. Anna was just as frightened and tense as before, but her heart rate and breathing slowed significantly. From the way her body was acting, Anna might have been lounging at the beach. As the seconds went by, her body's state of relaxation began to affect Anna. The panic she had been gripped with was slowly dwindling.

"If I release you, will you stay put? Remember, I just want to talk." Elsa asked in a soothing tone.

Anna felt some of the invisible force around her body lessen. She could move, but just barely. Anna thought for a second about what to do. If Elsa really did want to talk, then it was in Anna's interest to do so. Trying to fight didn't appear to be a good idea. Reasoning with Elsa, if that was possible, seemed like a far better bet.

"Yes." Anna said shortly, gulping.

The invisible force inside her body vanished. Anna breathed a sigh of relief. It was frightening to have no control like that, especially when a vampire (beautiful or not) was only a few feet away from her on this suddenly claustrophobic train car. Now that she was back in control of her body, Anna's instincts told her to run, but she kept herself still. Convincing Elsa to allow her to leave was her only realistic way to escape.

"I'd like to apologize first. I'm sorry for scaring you, and I'm sorry for taking some of your blood without your consent when we first met." Elsa began in a cool, diplomatic tone.

"You're sorry? Are you kidding?" Anna asked in disbelief.

Elsa was sorry? She was a vampire, a monster! Monsters weren't sorry about what they did. They preyed on the weak and helpless and had no conscience whatsoever. Elsa had to be lying. Just because she was acting contrite and had a (very) pretty face didn't mean Elsa could be trusted.

"I can see that you don't believe me. I understand. Just know that I don't hunt because I want to. I hunt because I need to." Elsa said softly, almost as if she was hurt by Anna's attitude.

"Can't...can't you go to a blood bank or something?" Anna stammered, put very off-balance by Elsa's surprisingly gentle demeanor.

"I could, but there's a shortage of blood in places like those. If I drank their supply up, then it would be like taking blood from mortals who need it the most. Isn't it better to take some from healthy mortals who have enough to spare?" Elsa reasoned fairly.

"That's...I mean...you should ask people first!" Anna protested weakly, having somehow gotten into a discussion about the ethics of blood-drinking.

"I would like to. But that doesn't tend to work out very well. Be honest, if I had asked you for a little bit of your blood, would you have said yes?" Elsa asked, raising an eyebrow.

Of course Anna wouldn't have. She'd have refused point-blank. Even if it was true that Elsa needed to do so to survive, allowing a vampire to bite into her neck would have been too frightening for Anna to consider. Anna opened her mouth and then closed it. She didn't have any counterargument to make. Her silence was a clear enough answer anyway.

"It's my preference to gain a mortal's consent, but I hadn't fed in a number of days. And when I don't feed, my instincts to hunt get more powerful. It's important to keep them in check or I might end up hurting mortals without meaning to. You see why I had to do what I did, don't you?" Elsa explained, almost in a pleading fashion.

Despite everything going on, Anna felt a measure of sympathy for Elsa. Needing to drink blood in order to survive had to be difficult. Even if Elsa was using disconcerting terms like "feed" and "hunt". Or "mortal", for that matter. Were vampires immortal? Anna wondered if that was true, but she had a more immediate question in mind.

"Why me, though?" Anna asked slowly, curious about the answer.

"You caught my eye, Anna. As soon as I saw you in that club, I knew you were the one. There's an emotional component to feeding, you see. If I'm attracted to the mortal I've chosen, then feeding on them is that much more pleasurable and satisfying. It's the same on your end. I know your fear kept you from enjoying it as much as I did, but without that, it would have been the most sublime experience of your life. Trust me." Elsa asserted confidently, smiling at Anna.

Something about Elsa's smile made Anna's heart beat faster. And that wasn't even taking the blonde woman's veiled offer into account. If Anna was being honest with herself, she was intrigued by Elsa's suggestion. What would it be like to allow a vampire like Elsa to feed on her? It had felt pretty amazing the first time, and if Anna could experience it without being afraid of dying...

Anna shook her head. What was she thinking? Elsa was just trying to trick her. Anna wanted to escape, not fall further into Elsa's web of manipulation. But Anna had to tread carefully. Offending a vampire was probably not a good idea.

"I'm flattered. But I'm not sure this is the kind of relationship I'm looking for." Anna stated gingerly.

"Of course. I know it's a lot to take in. I just wanted the chance to introduce myself properly and explain. Here." Elsa said in the same cool, diplomatic tone as before, fishing out a card from her handbag and offering it to Anna.

Anna blinked before reaching out to take the card. She looked it at with some hesitation. What kind of vampire handed out cards? But it seemed to be a normal business card. There was obviously nothing about Elsa being a vampire on it, only that she was an executive for some company called Callisto Logistics. It had her work number and fax number printed underneath her name, and as Anna flipped it over, she saw that Elsa had written another number with perfect penmanship.

"Is this your personal number?" Anna asked curiously.

"It is. I only give out that number to the handful of people who know who, and what, I really am. I want you to take a few days to process what I've told you and then give me a call. If you want to meet again, we will. If not, then that's fine too." Elsa said smoothly, standing up from her seat as the train began to slow down.

"And what if I don't want to meet again?" Anna asked quietly.

Elsa didn't answer immediately. Anna once again had the strange sense that she had hurt Elsa's feelings a little bit. Assuming, of course, that a vampire still had feelings. Anna wasn't certain if they did.

"As I said, that's fine too. I'll just...help you forget we ever met. You'll go back to thinking there's no such thing as vampires, and you can resume your life." Elsa answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Really? You'll do that?" Anna asked doubtfully.

"I said that I would, didn't I?" Elsa answered patiently.

The train had nearly come to a stop. Elsa leaned in closer to Anna, who hurriedly looked away from Elsa's eyes. She didn't want to be caught in Elsa's gaze and fall under her alluring spell. Not that it really mattered. Under Elsa's control or not, Anna was helpless against the woman. But all Elsa did was bend down to softly kiss Anna's cheek. Elsa's lips were ice cold, but the gesture itself was warm. Anna felt herself blushing again.

"Close your eyes for a second, please." Elsa requested softly, which Anna knew was a request in fact, as no psychic force compelled her like before.

Nevertheless, Anna closed her eyes as she was asked. As soon as the train doors opened, Anna opened her eyes as well. Elsa had vanished completely. Or had she? Anna listened closely and heard the sound of clacking heels moving further away. Anna stood up from the seat and peered out the window into the subway platform. There was nobody out there. Elsa appeared to have some strange power to turn invisible, at least to Anna's eyes.

Anna sat back down again as the doors closed. The train hadn't quite gotten to her stop yet. As the train began moving once more, she looked down at the card Elsa had given her. Was she going to call the number? Anna's first instinct was to say no and be grateful that she was no longer alone with a dangerous being that had a taste for her blood.

But Elsa didn't match up precisely with Anna's image of vampires. For one thing, Elsa had refrained from feeding on Anna when she had an easy opportunity to do. She didn't seem to be the cruel predator that Anna had initially assumed. Instead, Elsa had given every indication that she wanted to make some kind of emotional connection with Anna. Unless Elsa was only pretending to be so friendly. But why would she lie? Elsa could have simply forced Anna to obey her like before.

Anna was grateful that the mystery woman had given her a few days to think it over, at least. So many questions were ricocheting around her head that Anna felt like she needed all the time she could get to come to any kind of reasonable decision. Especially since Anna very much wanted to stop letting her emotions drive her. First, it had been panic and fear, and now Anna was beginning to catch herself wishing that Elsa had taken a small drink from her neck.

Just to see if Elsa had been telling the truth when she had promised that a consensual feeding would be the most phenomenal experience of Anna's life.


End file.
